sync, unsync, stop, and sync again
by weirdgrammar
Summary: Ninja Assassin AU. Trapped in the world of ninja clans with no freedom but blood and inevitable death await them. However, Kagami wishes to regain his freedom, while Aomine has his heart bounded to the clan. Two diverge roads, and Aomine can only choose one. Kagami, or the clan.
1. Chapter 1

Feel good after recovered from high fever (almost actually). Anyway, this idea struck me hard after re-watching 'Ninja Assassin' directed by James McTeigue. Remember, the smexy Rain as the ninja? Sure you remember~ With the guideline of the plot, I build up my own AoKaga multichapters fanfic.

**Warning: **Ninja Assassin AU. YAOI. Lengthy multichapters fanfics. OOC-ness. Character deaths. Blood. ERRORS. Super duper SLOW updates.

**Disclaimer: **Kuroko no Basuke, Ninja Assassin and any resources used in here throughout this fanfic belong to their respective owner.

Enjoy~

* * *

It was raining heavily that day.

Sharp small stones dug into his small bare feet. Sticky mud dirtied his tanned face and his torn midnight yukata. Raindrop pierced into his small body. Cold wind sliced through his short navy hair. He jumped over small bushes, ducking stretched branches, dodging trunks, swatting away leaves in his way, running and running as fast as his legs could carry him without gulping a breath to supply oxygen for his burning lungs.

Raindrops washed away his streaking tears. His mind was replaying pictures of his villages in red-orange blaze, pictures of blazing angry eyes, swords glimmering in the blaze. He still could hear piercing screams pealing out in his ears although he'd been running away from his ruined villages for days. His mother's. His father's. He couldn't get rid of their screams from his head.

His mother's soft cries kept calling out to him. _Daiki... Daiki... Daiki..._

Daiki hated this. Daiki was tired of this shit. The rivalry between clans. The hatred between clans. They'd destroyed everything belonged to him. His parents. His family. His own clan.

Bittersweet memories rushed through him. His mother's soft smile. His father's gruffy laughter. Their first Tanabata festival. Their first winter.

He wanted to turn back, throwing himself into his mother's dainty arms, holding his father's strong hand, but they'd forbade him even look back. So, he kept running and running without knowing he was heading to, his parents' last request echoing in his mind. Daiki sniffled loudly, screwed his midnight eyes shut in a vain attempt to hold back the tears. Bad move. Out of sudden, his foot caught in between of stretched roots, and before he knew it, his jaw had hit the ground harshly, splashing a pool of muddy water onto him. Daiki groaned in pain.

Looking at the sticky ground morosely as the pain ease up, Daiki's hope began to fade away. Hunger clenched his stomach. Coldness clawed at his exposed skin. His yukata had drenched. His head felt lightheaded. Wave of tiredness swept over him, draining his energy. With the rustling of branches and howling of cold wind, the Mother Nature seemed to be laughing at his despair state.

At this moment, Daiki wished nothing but to sleep for ever.

At the verge of losing hopes, he could no longer feel rain pelt against his back. A question raised in his mind and brought his head to look upward.

First, he was greeted by a pair of small legs, then his eyes trailed up the legs to crimson hakama, to a fist of small hand holding parasol, to small face framed with unruly crimson-black layered hair, and ended at a pair of magnificent crimson eyes.

Daiki was stunned hit by such a beautiful color.

The crimson haired boy, then, crouched down, slightly tanned hand reaching out to his tanned face. His crimson eyes seemed to focus on him, and only him. When those fingers grazed his skin, Daiki could feel warmness spread across his body. He almost purred in delight at the light touch.

"You're bleeding," the crimson haired boy whispered softly.

Ah... he must be talking about the wound on his cheek. But, Daiki paid no heed to his wounds as the boy's soft voice brought him pleasant feelings.

The boy gently pulled his hand and threw it over his shoulders with a soft huff. Daiki watched helplessly under his heavy lashes as the boy juggled the red parasol and his weight over his small back, then clamped the parasol between his teeth to have a better position for the crimson haired boy to carry him.

The boy began to picked up his pace, from a slow jog to a fast sprint, the parasol bobbing up and down between his teeth as he took another step forward. Daiki had no idea where the kid brought him, but there was a soft voice slipping into his heart, telling him _trust him_. Draping over the kid's back, Daiki could hear soft beating of the kid's heart, and lulled by the calm rhyme, he drifted off to sleep.

...

Daiki jolted out of his sleep to the sound of creaking wood.

Alarmed, he bolted sitting upright so quickly it almost gave him whiplash. After giving himself a moment to recover from the shock, Daiki scanned his surroundings. Small dark tatami room, a small table with a small lantern on top of if and two cushions, a scroll hanging on the wall ahead him, moonlight after heavy rain filtered dustily through two small windows at his left, and a paper-screened sliding door at his right. He traced the futon under his hand. Comfy white futon. His hand roamed around the hakama he was wearing. Pure white. It trailed up to his cheek. Bandaged up. His eyes ran along his arms. Also bandaged up.

His brain began to work. A typical question came out. Where was he—

"Good evening."

"WARGHHH!" Daiki jerked up violently seeing a pair of blank blue eyes glued on him in front of him, threw the blanket over his body, forming a cocoon. Who the hell was that thing? A ghost? No, angel? No! Where the hell did he come from? Since when?

Then, a gentle pat of the blanket cut off the train of his thoughts, followed by a soft childish voice. "I am no ghost. Please show yourself."

Daiki shrunk deeper into his cocoon, insecurities swamped him. "You sure?" his words came out muffled.

"Yes, I am still alive. There's nothing to be afraid of."

He weighed up the options for a moment. Daiki tapped his chin thoughtfully, eyes pointing skywards at the darkness of the blanket. Feeling suffocated inside the small cocoon with lack of oxygen, Daiki slipped out of the blanket and opened himself in front of _the ghost_. With now his vision had cleared, he could study the profile of _the ghost_ throughly.

Moonlight and weak orange-yellow light from the lantern bathed his light blue hair exquisitely, outlined his pale face, flashing a pair of big powder blue eyes adorning his effeminate face, petit body sheathed under white snow hakama. He made a wild guess, _the ghost_ was perhaps same age with him.

"Oh," was Daiki's only comment.

"I apologize for surprising you," the light blue haired boy bowed courteously. "But, I've brought you a cup of hot tea to warm your body," the slender fingers dragged a wooden tray of clanking tea.

Daiki shot the cup a suspicious look, then at him.

The light blue haired boy smiled at him.

Daiki peered into the tea. Nothing weird about it. His fingers carefully curled around the cup, a small wince escaping him as burnt pricked at his palms. He blew at the mouth of the clay cup and watched the steam rise away from the cup as he did so. Daiki took a sip, the warmness of the tea suffused in his mouth to his chest.

Ah... heavenly feelings.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya," the light blue haired male spoke up suddenly.

Daiki paused briefly, cup in midway to his lips. "Tet... Tetsu?" he tilted his head a little to get the stranger's name rolled on his tongue smoothly.

The light blue haired male gave a small nod. "Yes, Tetsuya. Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Tetsu, that 's," Daiki gave his final decision on the stranger's name, sipping another gulp of tea. His midnight eyes were fixated on the Tetsu boy to search for his reaction, but the Tetsu boy hadn't flinched at all.

Remained blank. Like a doll.

A cute doll, to be precise.

Too busy trying to analyzed the Tetsu boy, Daiki was once again surprised by a loud thud of opening sliding door, revealing the crimson haired boy whom he had met earlier. Their gazes clashed, and _oh Kami-sama_, Daiki couldn't move from his spot, again hit by the beautiful color.

"Ah, you're awake!" said the crimson haired boy with a broad grin on his face. He pattered across the room to the futon quickly. As if not giving any attention to the Tetsu boy beside him, he leaned in with shoulders heaving up excitedly. "You okay? Good sleep? Need food? Need water—"

Bombarded by questions from the redhead, Daiki stayed speechless. The redhead continued chattering away, nonetheless.

"Please, Kagami-kun. You're scaring him," the Tetsu boy butted in sharply.

"WARGHHHHH!" the redhead jumped few feet away, hand clutching his heart. "Kuroko! You surprised me!" he screamed between his panting breath.

"Not my fault, Kagami-kun, if you didn't notice me."

"Yes, your fault! Grow some presence!"

"You know that wasn't my fault too—"

Daiki watched the drama in front of him in silence until 'uh' escaped his lips; it halted their childish argument over nothing, or perhaps something, effectively. He (subconsciously) had managed to rivet their attention back to him—even if that wasn't his intention at first.

"Sorry, sorry," the redhead scratched the back of his head, scooting over closer towards him. "'m Kagami Taiga. You?"

Daiki threw them a skeptical look, yet the stupid grin on the Kagami redhead didn't falter at all. He hummed into the cup for a moment, then put it down gently. "...Aomine Daiki..." he muttered under his breath.

Despite the lowest tone he used, it seemed the redhead managed to catch it and blurting out his name sufficed to hook his interest. The redhead opened his mouth widely; words surged out breathlessly. "I found you bleeding in the forest. So, I thought I should bring you home. Thank Moon it wasn't that far, so I could carry you. Kuroko and Momoi helped you, then, clean you and bandage up your wounds..."

The redhead continued on talking about something Daiki couldn't quite point his finger, yet Daiki didn't bother to interrupt him as he enjoyed the variety of cadence of his childish voice and the faces he made, as if he was telling him an interesting tale story. The Tetsu boy didn't cut in either; smiling watching the Kagami boy talk.

That's when Daiki noticed there was a bright maroon maple on the Kagami boy's right cheek. He slowly pointed his index finger at abused cheek. "Uh... what's that?"

The redhead stopped talking abruptly. His hand followed the line of Daiki's pointing finger. "Ah, this..." then, he laughed sheepishly. "A punishment for wandering alone outside. You see, the moment I brought you in, I got busted."

Daiki frowned. Other person got punishment because of him. He hated that. "You shouldn't bring me in, then."

"Uh huh," the Kagami boy shook his head. "No can do. I can't leave you alone there," he, then, waved his hand off dismissively. "It's fine. This place has strict rules, that's all."

"Rules?"

"'One shall not leave this place without sensei's consent,'" he leaned in closely, warningly, few inches away from Daiki's face. "That's what sensei told us," he retreated back to his sitting position.

"This place? Sensei?" more and more questions flooded through his confused mind. Daiki seriously didn't get a word coming out from the little redhead.

With a casual look, the redhead nodded. "Yes, this place. Dojo of Kiseki clan."

Daiki turned pale almost immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

Coz' apparently the site is being a dick

* * *

"Kiseki... clan?" Daiki swallowed thickly between his words. The air felt so heavy, and he wasn't sure if his body was playing trick on him, but he could feel the temperature ambiance gradually dropping.

Hopping to another clan was the last thing Daiki wished for now, yet it happened to him. Daiki clicked his tongue indignantly at his cursed fate.

The Kagami boy titled his head in pure confusion. The same expression passed over the Tetsu kid's face before it asserted to a blank look once again. The Tetsu kid started with measured tone. "It seems you're not happy with it. Mind sharing it with us?"

Daiki grimaced a little. No, he couldn't bring himself to stir up the memories. Wading through the torturous ordeal had rendered his mind garbled and his heart ached; he wished not to be reminded of his parents' piercing screams again.

Yet, he felt obligated to spill it out seeing the subtle patient look on the blank expression.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," the redhead spoke suddenly, startling him. "Doesn't look like a good story," his face remained impassive, nonetheless.

Daiki tried to read the redhead through the dimmed light, but the limited light gave him little exposure. He tried to squint at him, still, to no avail.

One thing, though, that nagged him wordlessly; he, at least, owed the redhead a little explanation of finding him in the woods, which definitely lilted to the trauma.

Daiki chewed his inner cheek.

"My clan..." he hesitated at first, tactfully trying to structure a simple sentence in his mind without pulling at the trigger of trauma. "...was ambushed... my parents told me to run away... so, I ran..."

The memories rushed through his mind. He choked on his sobs. Tears prickled his eyelids. Daiki hung his head low. He'd skirted around the dark memories, yet he couldn't help touching a patch of them. And a single touch; his parents' faces, sufficed to bring onslaught of sadness crushing over him.

Daiki sniffled loudly, head dropping lower and lower.

Then, he felt warmth blanket over him.

Daiki sucked in breath and snapped open his eyes, only to find him inside the redhead's embrace.

He stayed dumbstruck. He didn't know what to do. Really.

Sure, he'd missed warm contact after running through the cold forest, but his mind was muddled. Shock, touched, wistful; conflicted feelings surged through his small frame, and _aho_, his brain refused to work.

"You're safe now," came a whisper.

His body went rigid. Daiki's heart clenched. His hands slowly lifted up and settled themselves on the back of the redhead. He buried his face in the crook of the neck, fingers latching onto the crimson hakama.

"You're safe now," said the redhead again, followed by a pat on Daiki's back from the Tetsu kid.

Damp of his tears broke, and Daiki whimpered into the small shoulder.

Then, he could no longer hear the screams of his parents.

He could only hear his whimpers and whispers of _you're safe now_ chanting through the night.

...

It felt so embarrassing to wake up inside someone's embrace, but knowing it was the little redhead, Daiki, somehow, didn't mind at all.

In fact, he found it so pleasant.

They both cramped into the small futon, heads on the flat surface, limbs entangled together, blanket barely draped over their bodies, his spine screaming hurt due to the awkward position.

However, listening to the little redhead's calm heartbeat washed the grouchiness and pain away, and Daiki decided he might like to stay longer inside the small embrace.

Daiki heard cautious footsteps against the tatami come from the door, so he reflexively screwed his eyes shut. He felt darkness loom over them, and _awww~_ followed suit. Daiki's heart leaped at the feminine voice. He stayed rigid when the _shadow_ leaned closer, some kind of clothe rustling against his skin.

"Kagamin, wake up."

Daiki was sure that wasn't meant for him.

"Kagamin, wake up~" the voice picked up playfully.

At last, a groan from the redhead was heard. The redhead made a little shift, peeling a hand off of his body, and Daiki frowned a little at the lost warmth. He mindlessly sunk deeper into the warmth to retrieve it.

Daiki felt childish chuckles rumble low in the small chest against his cheek. Blush crawled up his neck, but he wasn't going to let go of the warmth yet.

Amusement tweaked in the feminine voice. "Seems like he loves cuddling Kagamin."

Daiki blushed harder.

"Hey," said the redhead softly. "It's morning."

His lips pursed. Daiki staunchly tightened his embrace around the redhead.

"Got breakfast."

It hooked his attention, but not for so long. Daiki shrunk into the redhead, making his point crystal clear.

Pair of small arms traveled up his back to his neck, pulling him closer. Tiny fingers threaded through his short hair. Daiki sighed at the soft touch. Strings of consciousness began to pluck off as he slowly succumbed to the pleasant feeling rushing over him.

Then, a loud growl from the redhead's belly startled him. Daiki shot open his eyes again.

The redhead laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, hungry."

Daiki knew it was his cue to get up. He reluctantly slipped off of the embrace and pulled himself to sitting position, folding his legs beneath him. Looking up, his eyes met cerise irises belonged to a cute pink haired girl.

The cerise eyes sparkled in amusement. She brought her long sleeve of pink kimono to muffle her giggles. "Good morning," she said between her giggles.

Daiki didn't return her greeting. Instead, he waited for the redhead to haul himself up and leaned closer to him when the redhead had done so. He watched the girl with suspicious look.

Nevertheless, it didn't chase the sparkles away from her face.

He figured the cautious feelings must have reflected in his face when the redhead suddenly shielded half of his body from the girl. The Kagami boy broke the morning silence in his drowsy voice. "Momoi, don't scare him."

"I didn't do anything," she defended herself with a smile. "I just greeted him."

The Kagami boy threw a glance over his shoulder at him. "No worries. Momoi 's fine. She helped you too."

"How's your body?" she asked. "Your wounds? Feel good today?"

Daiki eyed the girl, then his wounds, before going back to the girl again. She gave him a small nod. Guilty and appreciation swamped him. At last, Daiki crawled out of his little hideout (the redhead).

"Thank...you," he managed to stutter.

"You're welcome," a genuine grin split her face. "I'm Momoi Satsuki, by the way," she placed a palm over her chest. "You?"

"...Aomine Daiki."

"...Aomine Daiki? Daiki? Dai-chan~"

Daiki twitched a little, but decided not to say anything. He played with her name in his mind before spilling out a name to return the _favor_. "Satsuki."

He noticed subtle flinch from the Kagami boy at mentioning of her first name. Daiki bent closer to peer at the face, but he couldn't decipher the expression the Kagami boy was wearing.

Perhaps the Kagami boy didn't like it when he said her first name. Puppy love?

Daiki's heart ached a little.

The Kagami boy rose to his feet, his crimson hakama rustling noisily as he moved. Daiki, too, quickly mirrored him wordlessly, allowing the blanket sliding down his thighs. The redhead whipped to him with a tiny smile on his face, making Daiki's breath hitch.

"Must see sensei first before eat breakfast."

Daiki gulped down his saliva nervously.

The redhead took him by wrist and led him towards the door. He pushed the door sliding open. With pounding heart, Daiki let the redhead usher him through the dojo with the girl graciously shadowing their steps behind them.

His eyes roamed over the dojo. At the garden resounded the tinkle of wind-bells and dry clack of a bamboo pipe, pivoting down to strike the edge of the stone basin with a monotonous 'tock, tock'. Few birds soared through the morning sky circling the old wooden buildings with dark, long corridors running alongside musty rooms.

They walked across the garden with barefoot, following pebbles path to a huge lawn ahead, leading them to a huge building and an entrance gate. They went to the wooden building.

He climbed the wooden stairs with leaden steps; one step at a time. Daiki looked skywards. The building appeared to be ominous and dark against the translucent skies. His heart thumped harder against its ribcage.

Subconsciously, his fingers curled themselves around the crimson sleeve.

The redhead stopped climbing, and angled to him. He patted his head. "It's fine."

Daiki nodded at his assurance. He caught soft feminine giggles emerging among them, but fear and nervous had gripped his neck so tightly he couldn't muster any anger inside him. Daiki tailed behind the redhead closely.

The redhead sat before the paper shoji screens door with folded up knees under him. The Satsuki girl settled down next to him, leaving him trapped between them. He, too, copied every movement they were doing, knowing well whoever behind the closed door was extremely important to the dojo.

The girl placed her palms on the door, and slipped her fingers through the joint before courteously pushing it open with head dropped low, her pink hair veiling down her shoulders and pink kimono.

"Good morning, Shirogane-sama," she said. "We've brought our guest to greet you."

"I see, please raise your head," came a gruffy voice.

Upon hearing soft command from the gruffy voice, Daiki lifted up his head. The room was huge; morning lights slipping through huge windows softened the darkness hovering the high ceiling, few scrolls hanging on the wall, a low table with a small white clay vase filled with white orchid, greenish brown tatami.

However, his navy eyes were drawn to a man clad in pure white hakama sitting upright in futon, white thick blanket covered up to his waist, few strands of black streaked his grayish hair, wrinkles at the corner of his eyes, and a soft smile stretching his lips.

"Good morning, little one," said the man to him.

Daiki's heart arrested. He was enchanted by the warmness laced in his gruffy voice.


End file.
